RIO DE JANEIRO • Swimmer Joseph Schooling will not participate in the men's 200m butterfly at the Olympic Games, choosing instead to focus on the 100m events.

The 21-year-old will compete in his pet 100m fly event as well as the 100m freestyle. The decision, made to capitalise on Schooling's chances of making the final in both 100m events, was made known on Tuesday night (yesterday morning, Singapore time).

Schooling, who won a bronze at last year's World Championships in the 100m fly, qualified for four events. He had taken the 200m free out of consideration much earlier on.

Team-mate Quah Zheng Wen will participate in all three events he qualified for - the 100m backstroke, 100m and 200m fly.

His older sister, Ting Wen, will swim in the women's 100m fly.

Swimming head coach Sergio Lopez said the decision for Schooling to swim two events was made in conjunction with the swimmer and Eddie Reese, Schooling's coach at the University of Texas and head coach of the American men's swimming team over three Olympics (1992, 2004 and 2008).

Said Lopez, an Olympic bronze medallist in 1988 himself: "After a lot of thinking by Joseph and discussions between Eddie Reese and I, we have come to the decision to drop the men's 200m butterfly. Joseph will be swimming the 100m freestyle instead where we believe he has a very good chance to be in the final."

The swimming competition begins on Saturday.

Follow the latest Olympics 2016 news here at str.sg/olympics.